WSOP Updates – Event #36, $5,000 Omaha Hi-Lo — Massimo Reynaud Leads After Marathon Day Two
147 players returned for Day Two of Event #36, $5,000 Omaha High/Low Split, the field loaded with big names. Kirill Gerasimov opened the day with the lead, with Mike 'The Mouth' Matusow, Annie Duke, Gavin Smith, Todd Brunson, Huck Seed, Mel Judah and Scott Clements among those in the chase.
The final table wasn't set until after 4am, as the marathon session brought few early eliminations. It took nearly 30 minutes for the first player, Jan Fisher, to be eliminated. As blinds escalated the pace of bustouts finally picked up, with Brett 'Gank Jungblut, Men 'The Master' Nguyen and Hasan Habib among those falling first on Day Two.
As expected, Matusow provided a good show for the cameras, spectators and his tablemates, mixing it up with Doc 'Prince of Docness' Kegal in a hand that left Matusow kicking a chair in frustration. Matusow made top two pair on the turn, but the Q♣ that made his hand was also the case queen that made a set for Kegal. "Why not give this idiot another (deleted) one-outer?" Matusow asked the dealer. As Kegal took the chip lead for the day, Matusow offered a running commentary on his play, berating Kegal's play to a table newcomer. Neither Kegal nor Matusow made the final table.
As play moved down to the money bubble, Gavin Smith, Patrick Antonius, Huck Seed and Lee Watkinson were all eliminated. The bubble burst near midnight, leaving 27 players still needing to work down to the final nine. Matusow doubled up almost immediately after the redraw for seats and went to the rail to exchange congratulations with his railbirds, including Phil Hellmuth, who had a sizeable side bet with Phil Ivey on whether or not Matusow would win this event. As he was at the rail, Todd Brunson called out "Mike, the dealer mucked your cards." Matusow hurried back to the table to find Brunson laughing at his expense and his stack increased from the hand.
The next two hours saw nine more players depart. Matusow wouldn't win any big bets for Hellmuth, but he did outlast earlier nemesis Kegal. Kegal busted in 16th, just before Matusow's 15th-place exit. Matusow moved all-in on a 4♦10♦7♦ flop, holding J♣J♦8♣2♥. He was called by Mike Henrich, who took the high with pocket aces, and John Guth, who took the low.
Play continued in this endurance test until 4:30am, when Randy 'Dreamcrusher' Jensen eliminated Robert Kirkwood in tenth place. Jensen scooped the final pot of the night when he rivered a wheel for the nut low and had a strong enough high to bust Kirkwood. The final table with seat assignments and chips for Saturday's finale:
Seat 1: Massimo Reynaud — 529,000
Seat 2: Bart Hanson — 191,000
Seat 3; John Guth — 387,000
Seat 4: Randy Jensen — 283,000
Seat 5: Greg Jamison — 223,000
Seat 6: Michael Pollowitz — 189,000
Seat 7: David Flores — 450,000
Seat 8: Robert Stevanovski — 384,000
Seat 9: Jim Grove — 163,000
Play resumes at 4pm PDT. Join PokerNews.com's 'Live Reporting' of Event #36, $5,000 Omaha High/Low Split for the latest updates.
